Activism & Politics

A Closer Look: Swarthmore Sudan

Since its founding in 2004, Swarthmore Sudan has been a leader in the student anti-genocide movement. Members organize campaigns to end the genocide in Sudan and guarantee civilian protection in the interim. more

Acquaintance Sexual Assault Prevention (ASAP)

ASAP is a student-run program presented during orientation that focuses on issues concerning the nature of sexual assault, prevention of and safety from sexual assault, and related on-campus resources.

American-Israel Alliance (AIA)

The AIA promotes awareness of challenges jointly facing America and Israel and advocates in support of the American-Israeli relationship. Swat AIA organizes lobbying trips, speakers, study breaks, movies, bands, conferences, and other educational initiatives to increase understanding and support among Swarthmore students.

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Amnesty International

Amnesty International is a non-government organization dedicated to protecting the human rights set forth by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Swarthmore chapter is a very active member of Amnesty's global human rights network. In past years, the group has brought a former hostage to speak on campus, helped Philadelphia-area children write letters to free prisoners of conscience, sponsored a concert of local bands in Philadelphia to raise awareness about child soldiers, hosted a local human rights conference with Bryn Mawr College and UPenn, and organized numerous successful letter-writing campaigns. more

Animal Rights Coalition (ARC)

ARC, founded in September 2000, seeks to increase awareness of industries and practices that exploit and harm animals, offer community members easy venues to help alleviate these abuses, represent the interests of animals used on campus by monitoring the treatment of animals by the College both on campus and through investments, purchases, donations, and endorsements, promotes and facilitates cruelty-free lifestyles among community members, and represents the interests of those who pursue such lifestyles through diet, product preferences, and curricular choices. more

Class Activists

Class Activists formed in the Spring of 2007 to bring dialogue about issues of socio-economic class to Swarthmore. In addition to hosting events throughout the year, Class Activists hosts Class Awareness Month every November.

College Democrats

College Democrats advocate for and advance the values of the Democratic Party on campus and beyond. We are a group of students who work to educate our fellow students about political issues, work on electoral campaigns for Democratic candidates, and try to put progressive ideals into action at all levels of government. We are guided by the Democratic principles of equal rights and equal opportunity for all.

College Republicans

College Republicans exist to create a support network for Republican and conservative students on campus who are committed to values such as liberty, limited government, strong national defense, states' rights, individual responsibility, free market forces, and other Republican ideals. The group connects to larger Republican organizations such as the Borough of Swarthmore Republicans, College Republicans National Committee, or Intercollegiate Studies Institute for both volunteer and networking purposes.

Earthlust

Earthlust's goal is to foster an awareness of the environment as an integrated community of humans, other living things, and natural landscapes and resources. We work to increase each person's awareness of the effects that their decisions have on our environment. Earthlust and its subcommittees work to research areas of interest to the community and to gain student support on specific political issues involving some aspect of the environment. more

Feminist Majority

Feminist Majority is an umbrella group that deals with various feminist issues. We are a non-partisan club open to all students. During our weekly meetings, we plan activities designed to highlight feminist concerns. Recent events included Women's Month, the Expand Your Horizons conference, and the Clothesline Project (left). Currently, we are working to raise awareness of the new HPV vaccines as well as the over-the-counter Plan B. We held an event for Domestic Violence Month and are presently planning Feminism Weekend, which will include a movie screening, discussion, and guest speaker. We also hope to sponsor a "Women in Religion" panel.

Food for Thought

Food for Thought is a group of students who bake bread to fight hunger. We meet every Sunday throughout the day and make several varieties of bread (favorites include feta rosemary, garlic, and chocolate chip) which we then sell in Sharples Dining Hall Sunday night. The proceeds from the sale of the bread go to a different charity every semester, usually a local group dedicated to fighting hunger: we obtain our supplies from Sharples using meal numbers donated by students, so all of the money from sales goes directly where it's needed.

Free Culture Swarthmore (FCS)

Free Culture Swarthmore is dedicated to the education and activism regarding copyright reform. We are surrounded by situations where overly restrictive intellectual property laws harm, rather than help, creativity and cultural commentary. In fact, FCS was the brainchild of two students, Luke Smith '06 and Nelson Pavlosky '06, whose legal battle over memos revealing flaws in Diebold's voting machines centered around the claim that such memos were copyrighted by the company, and therefore could be kept hidden under intellectual property law. FCS also champions the good things that can come out of a freer, less restrictive attitude toward culture, such as open-source software, remixing, and projects like Open Access and Wikipedia. FCS meets weekly at 10 PM on Mondays in the SCCS Media Lounge, under Paces. more

Global Health Forum

The Global Health Forum is a non-partisan, educational organization that raises awareness of global health issues, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, poverty, and violence against women. The organization hosts lectures, videoconferences, documentary screenings, and more--all to get Swarthmore students and community residents talking about our country's role in our increasingly interconnected world.

Good Food Project

The Good Food Project advocates the use of sustainable, local, seasonal, and organic foods on campus and in the surrounding area. The group sponsors an awareness campaign and plants an on-campus food garden. more

Good Schools Pennsylvania (GSPA)

Good Schools PA is a group formed to advocate for public education reform in Pennsylvania. We operate as a chapter of the larger GSPA organization, which is a non-profit coalition of grassroots, statewide, and national organizations seeking to mobilize parents, students, and concerned citizens as activists for improved public education. On campus, we work to educate, mobilize, and create dialogue in the community through panels, letter writing, speakers, tabling, and phone slams.

Kick Coke/Conscious Consumers

Swarthmore student activists have used petitions, a letter-writing campaign, and a Student Council resolution to urge the College administration to remove Coca-Cola products and to pressure the company to act on the abuse allegations.

Living Wage Campaign

We believe that all Swarthmore staff members deserve a wage that will allow them to support themselves and their families without receiving government assistance or working additional jobs. We also believe that all members of the community should have a real voice in the process that decides their wages and other important decisions. more

None of the Above (NOTA)

NOTA serves those students who do not identify as gay, lesbian, or straight; it welcomes bi-, pan-, omni, and multisexual students as well as non-identified or questioning students.

SAVE R US

SAVE R US (Students Against Violence Everywhere Are Us) is a student run anti-violence organization dedicated to the promotion of non-violence in both schools and in the community. Signature activities include "cafe" discussion groups and the annual Peace Week. This tradition began in 2001 with a two-day festival at Council Rock High School in Pa. Since then, Peace Week has expanded to include Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges in TRI-CO Peace Week 2006 and TRI-CO Peace Week 2007. more

Sexual Health Counselors (SHC)

SHC is a student organization that provides information and support on all issues regarding sexual health and promotes self-knowledge and safety for the Swarthmore College community. We function as a resource only, and we have no political or social agenda aside from serving as a reliable source of information. more

Swarthmore Labor Action

Members of Swarthmore Labor Action believe that all people have a right to dignity, fairness, and safety in the workplace. Always aware of our particular position as students, we seek to act on our responsibility to work for these rights and seek to serve the needs of those whose jobs we may affect. Outside the Swarthmore community we work for legislation and organizations that support our mission. Within our community we work to create a more respectful environment for staff and to serve as a resource to staff interests and concerns with the belief that Swarthmore can be a fairer workplace.

Swarthmore Organization for Israel (SOFI)

SOFI seeks to inform Swarthmore students about the Middle East conflict and Israeli society and to voice a pro-Israeli perspective on campus. We aim to achieve our goals through educational, political, and cultural activities.

Swarthmore Progressive Action Committee (SPAC)

SPAC organizes around issues of interest to the political left, including, but not limited to: the promotion of peace and non-violent means of conflict resolution; the creation of foreign and trade policy that acknowledges the needs of working and indigenous peoples, as well as the environment; an analysis of the current military-industrial complex in the U.S.; the cessation of capital punishment; and other issues of economic, social, and political justice. SPAC aims to educate its members and the College community about such issues, and also seeks to collaborate with organizations on- and off-campus to further these ends.

Swarthmore Queer Union (SQU)

SQU is dedicated to raising social and political awareness by providing relevant cultural programming on campus and advocating queer and questioning issues to the administration about student life, faculty, and curriculum. As a population that is discriminated against, queer and questioning students need a safe space free from heterosexism and homophobia. In this space, queer and questioning students are able to share experiences, build support networks, educate themselves and others, and develop strategies to combat oppression. more

Swarthmore Students Supporting Life (SSSL)

SSSL urges society to find and implement alternatives to abortion, the death penalty, euthanasia, and other practices that take lives. SSSL has two purposes: education of and dialogue with the Swarthmore community, and volunteer work that alleviates the social and economic pressures that often push women to abortion. Pro-life students have historically been a minority on the Swarthmore campus and SSSL works to make their voice heard.

Swat Sudan

Swarthmore Sudan seeks to educate members of the College and surrounding communities about the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. We work closely with the Genocide Intervention Network, the D.C.-based nonprofit started in 2005 by Swarthmore alums, and are a chapter of STAND, the student arm of GI-Net. All levels of experience and participation are welcome! more

VOX

VOX (Voices for Choice), previously known as the Pro-Choice Task Force, was established in 1985 to help defend reproductive freedoms for all women and men. During our weekly meetings, we maintain an emphasis on contraceptive issues and prevention of unwanted pregnancies. We lead letter-writing campaigns to government leaders, are involved in community activities, and participate in various demonstrations to make the pro-choice voice heard. On Saturday mornings, members travel to family planning clinics in Philadelphia to escort patients around anti-choice protestors. VOX sponsors speakers and movies on campus in order to raise awareness of reproductive issues.

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